But I Want That
by Jeana Owens
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But I Want That
When my kids were little, there was something they said fairly often that tickled me. When one of them was trying to take a toy from another child or playing with something I didn't want them to have, I would say, "You can't have that." And almost without exception, the response would be, "But I want that."
It cracked me up every time, because it was so absurd. Like I would really say, "Oh, you want that? I didn't know you wanted it! Well, then, by all means, take it!"
I would laugh at my kids for saying it, but now I look back and realize how many times that was my justification for spending money on things we could not afford. "Look," I would say to my husband, "They have ______ and I've been wanting that for a long time."
If "I want it" wasn't justification enough, the length of time that I had wanted it was surely enough to tip the scales. Said item being on sale would remove all remaining doubt. I was being every bit as ludicrous as my children were! How much money or month we had remaining was no part of my decision process. And when we came up short at the end of the month? Well, that was because I had to buy groceries, it's too bad but what can you do?
There are many, many things I do to make our dollars stretch as far as they can. But the single thing that changed our finances the most was when I finally realized that "But I want that" is not a good reason to spend money.
Recognizing the difference between what I want and what I need is the other big one when controlling spending. But that's another topic for another day.
Jeana Owens is a frugal homeschooling mom with an odd sense of humor and a tendency to over-think things. You can read more about her at www.daystocome.net
Take the Next Step: The next time that you're thinking of spending money, pay attention to any justifications that you may be making for your purchase. Are you making the same silly justifications that you disapprove of in your children? Think about it.
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